In parallel with the MotoGP Grand Prix of Assen, MotoAmerica is launching an attack on Ridge Motorsports Park, to compete in the fifth round of its 2024 championship. The race in Washington will mark the comeback of Cameron Beaubier after an injury to the foot which made him miss the last four events.
The schedule for the fifth round of MotoAmerica at the Ridge
Qualification 2:
After placing an option on pole, Loris Baz confirms and takes it at Ridge Motorsports Park. The Frenchman completed a 1:39.478 lap, which allowed him to snatch first position from Cameron Petersen.
After the first sessions, dominated by both Yamaha and Ducati, the fight for victory looked intense.
Baz's teammate Josh Herrin took third place on the grid, to put two Bologna machines on the front row. He was a tenth behind the Habs.
Bobby Fong, and Jake Gagne placed their Yamahas in fourth and fifth positions with times four tenths slower than the leading men, which did not allow them to fight for pole position.
Difficult start to the weekend for Cameron Beaubier who is making his comeback this weekend after a leg injury. He finished the Qualifications with eighth place in the table.
Classification credit: MotoAmerica.com
Race 1:
Race 1 did not go as planned for pole sitter, Loris Baz. The weather conditions got mixed up in the festivities, and the Ducati rider made a poor choice of tires. He manages to limit the damage with the eighth position. Finishing the event as the first driver equipped with slicks.
It was Cameron Petersen who won Race 1 in the wet at Ridge Motorsports Park. The latter took his teammate Jake Gagne to break away from the peloton. The two men engaged in a few careful battles before crossing the finish line with a gap of 30 thousandths.
The race was not actually contested in its entirety since a red flag on the eighth lap compromised the rest of the event. This takes nothing away from the success of Petersen who thus won his third victory of the season.
Xavi Fores, replacing Richie Escalante at Vision Wheel, took advantage of his freelancing to obtain his first podium in MotoAmerica. He finished nine seconds behind the leaders, and naturally benefited from a judicious choice of tires to achieve such a result.
Cameron Petersen, winner of Race 1 at the Ridge:
“As Jake (Gagne) said, as a team we made the decision to put on wet tires. It was certainly the right choice. It's really fun to run with JG because you know he won't try anything dangerous. The team did an incredible job, putting the bike on wet settings. A good day overall. Third victory of the season. Super happy to get this in one season. I'm looking forward to a dry race. I felt good all weekend here, so I think tomorrow should be a good fight and a dog fight. Congratulations to Xavi on his first MotoAmerica Superbike podium. »
Classification credit: MotoAmerica.com
